Esteban Gutierrez is remaining fully motivated ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, despite incurring a five-place grid penalty for the event after causing a collision with the Force India of Adrian Sutil during the opening stages of the Chinese Grand Prix. Both were forced into retirement, with the race stewards later penalizing the Mexican rookie.

However, Esteban Gutierrez is not allowing this setback to dampen his motivation ahead of his fourth race in the sport. So far the 21-year-old Mexican has endured a tough start to his career in Formula 1, finishing no higher than 12th and qualifying deep within the midfield. During his first qualifying session at Australia, Gutierrez crashed heavily in the inclement weather conditions. This weekend will see the the Mexican driver compete on a track familiar to him from his time in the GP2 feeder series, where he managed to finish as high as 2nd last season.

Despite the demanding characteristics of the Bahrain International Circuit, which includes long straights with exceptionally heavy braking zones, Esteban Gutierrez is eager to get proceedings underway this weekend. So far Sauber have five points in the Constructors’ Championship, a lot less than this time last season when they had already scored 31 points. Admittedly this was largely due to Sergio Perez’s masterful 2nd place at Malaysia, however Sauber have undeniably endured a tough start to the new season.

“To end the Chinese Grand Prix like that was disappointing.” Explained Esteban Gutierrez, “The mistake I made not only ended my race, but I also received a five place grid penalty. Of course, this will not make the race in Bahrain any easier, but it doesn’t change my approach or my motivation. I will fight and make the best out of the situation. Bahrain is another hot place on the calendar. I know the track from my time in GP2, and I think it’s a nice one with challenging corners. It’s a very demanding track for the tyres, and I’m looking forward to driving there in a Formula One car.”

So far Esteban Gutierrez has qualified no higher than 14th on the grid, which means it is highly likely that he will start the 57-lap Bahrain Grand Prix towards the rear of the grid amongst the Marussia and Caterham duo. His first few races in Formula 1 have hardly displayed the fearsome speed which he become renowned for in both GP3 and GP2, however he will undeniably be aiming to improve as the sport begins to visit circuits he is already familiar with in Europe.